I also wanted to note that the brand name of this pool is “Easy Set” because it is very “easy to set up.” Interestingly enough they felt a need to include a dvd of instructions. Somehow I don’t think it would be “easy” to run back and forth from my living room to the pool… The booklet of instructions that came with it worked just fine.

Update: Not only did we get it resolved but we came out even further ahead then we already were! I took the pool box back to WalMart not expecting much since Mick bought the pool over 8 months ago (note: it was on clearance but not because it was missing parts – it was out of season). But the people in Customer Service were very helpful. When they determined that they did not carry the same model of pool anymore they had me pick up a separate pump that they sold. I was thinking they would give me a discount on it or something because it was a $70 pump but they gave it to me outright! That was very cool and a great customer experience.

You can find one of my new favorite blogs here:

http://homemadebyjill.blogspot.com/

You really don’t need any experience to do this and it makes a cute and cheap baby gift.  Find a friend with a sewing machine or come on over and use mine!!

I am going to try to make a tutu and babylegs for my neighbor’s baby who is turning 1 on Sunday.  Mia is too old for the legs and I don’t think Josh would let me put them on Jace so I need to find someone to give these cute things to.  I am sure Mia will be wanting a tutu next.

Now if you really want to cheat the system, my sister came up with this idea.  I don’t promote this because I think BRU is already doing such an awesome thing but I will tell you her idea.

BRU will give you the amount that the store is selling them for currently.  So I took in 5 9oz Avents.  Well the store sells them in 3 to a package or in singles.  So 3 of them went for one package price at 12.99 then the singles went for 5.99 a piece.  So if you just took them in randomly you would eventually get more money back.  5 singles instead of 3 pack and 2 singles.  But like I said I wouldn’t promote this since they are already doing us bargain shopping moms a deal.

Target also is having some amazing deals for kids clothes.  75% off most of kids clothes.  I found Jace several shorts/tees for next summer anywhere from .98 to 1.98.  Lots of maternity as well for 75% off.  But I did not even think about buying that!!

It’s been quite a surprise again since Mickie was not due for another 4 weeks.

I’m doing more frequent updates through Twitter, so if you want the latest information check there.

http://twitter.com/joshbyers

I’ll post here with major news.

They could also use different colored lights to pull you over – like happy green and yellow instead of harsh red and blue. That way you could sit proudly in your car and wave to people passing by because everyone else would know you were being stopped for awesome driving instead of bad driving.

This would change the way everyone drives. You wouldn’t be as apprehensive when a cop is following behind you and people would go out of their way to drive nice.

Yeah, if I was mayor I would definitely do this…

#10 Gremlins (1984)

This was most likely my first and most traumatizing movie theater experience. My unsuspecting parents were fooled by the PG rating and images of a cute, cuddly ‘mogwai’ – they weren’t alone. As a five year-old, my wife endured weeks of sleepless nights following her first encounter with the malevolent gremlin. It’s almost common knowledge that Howie Mandel provided the voice of Mogwai, but you may be surprised to know that Steven Spielberg funded the project. It’s interesting that Spielberg would direct Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom later that same year. Faced with the dreaded R rating, he lobbied the MPAA for a rating somewhere in between and the rest is, as they say, history…a middle-of-the-road rating, PG-13.

#9 Die Hard (1988)

It is easy to forget that this movie takes place during the Christmas season. Die Hard is considered by many to be the blueprint for the modern day action movie and is credited for establishing the ‘action star’ archetype (fallible, witty one-liners, all round tough guy). The Nakatomi building is actually 20th Century Fox’s headquarters. Believe it or not they charged themselves rent in addition to damages done to the sidewalk guardrail by the LAPD armored personnel carrier. Die Hard was renamed Big Building Fight in Tailand and A Hard Nut to Crack in Russia…doesn’t have the same ring to it does it?

#8 The Santa Clause (1994)

Aside from being my daughters favorite Christmas movie, I remain fascinated with the story’s concept for obviously different reasons. I had never contemplated the possibility of Santa being killed let alone the replacement process that would be required. If assuming the role involves nothing more than ‘wearing the suit’ shouldn’t we take another look at the recruitment process? Released in 1994, the Santa Clause grossed $144 million in the United States alone. Did you know that Chevy Chase was originally cast as Scott Calvin, but had to turn it down due to scheduling conflicts? Looks like the conflict was Cops and Robbersons…ugh, enough said.

#7 Home Alone (1990)

On a personal note I saw this movie with my family when it first opened in 1990. The very next morning we saw my mom off to the Persian Gulf for Operation Desert Storm. The concept for this movie originated the year before during a scene in Uncle Buck where Macaulay Culkin interrogates a would-be babysitter through a letterbox. Writer/director John Hughes wrote the story with Culkin as the lead, but tested over a hundred other young actors just to confirm his first choice. Robert De Niro turned down the role of Harry who would be immortalized by the great Joe Pesci.

#6 Miracle on 34th Street (1947)

This classic has a total of four remakes and is probably why it’s easy to forget that the original was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture in 1947 (lost to Gentleman’s Agreement). Studio head Darryl F. Zanuck insisted the movie be released in May to capitalize on greater ticket sales in the spring and summer. Consequently, the studio took great pains to promote the movie while keeping the fact it was about Christmas a secret. Talk about a sign of the times! How successful would that strategy be in 2007?

#5 Little House on the Prairie ‘Christmas at Plum Creek’ (1974)

This epitomizes the true heart and spirit of Christmas. Each member of the Ingalls family must make real sacrifices in order to make their first Christmas in Walnut Grove the best they have ever had. How prone I am to blurring and often times redefining the true meaning of Christmas by not being familiar with true sacrifice. The last ten minutes of this episode are particularly moving, especially for a parent. I am amazed by the unconditional love of a child for their mother/father. What a greater reminder of Christ’s unconditional love and sacrifice for His Father!

#4 National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989)

(Cue collective groaning). No, this did not make my Top 3, but it was extremely close. I am hard pressed to come up with a more quotable movie and Chevy Chase is at his finest. Assistant director Frank Capra III is the grandson of Frank Capra, the acclaimed director of It’s a Wonderful Life. Remember the scene where Clark saws of the newel post? This is a direct reference to the newel post that was loose in It’s a Wonderful Life. Todd and Margo’s house (Griswold’s persnickety neighbors) was Murtaugh’s house in the Lethal Weapon movies.

#3 A Christmas Carol (1984)

There have been so many adaptations to the Dickens classic that I should probably use George C. Scott as Ebenezer Scrooge to clarify. I tend to cringe when I see Scrooge in nothing but a nightgown, slippers, and cap as such attire has a tendency to punctuate vulnerability, almost infant-like. Scott brings an edge of meanness to his interpretation of Scrooge that is accentuated by his dress-slacks, dress-shirt, vest, and smoking jacket. I like to juxtapose the plight of Ebenezer Scrooge to that of George Bailey. Here we have a man who thinks he’s gained everything just to realize he has nothing. George Bailey on the other hand, loses everything just to realize he had everything all along.

#2 A Christmas Story (1983)

I borrow from British critic, Derek Malcom here by defining a great movie as one I could not bear the thought of never seeing again. Imagine if you will, a Christmas season without Ralphie and his official Red Ryder, carbine action, two-hundred shot range model air rifle, with a compass in the stock and a ‘thing’ that tells time. My father purchased a Red Ryder air rifle for my brother and I in much the same tradition that is captured here. I can still hear my mother screaming from the top of the stairs one Saturday morning, voice so shrill a bucket of water would have gone unnoticed by comparison. I remember being yanked out of the house and thrust to the back yard in pajamas and bed-head with my stoic neighbor, Art standing by. You see it was great sport for us to crouch behind the deck with rifle in hand and snipe unsuspecting birds and squirrels, parents none the wiser. Our untrained eye caused more than a few stray bee bees to riddle the back of Art’s camper – we blamed it on someone else of course.

#1 It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)

What can I say other than I am a complete sap each and every time I watch this. One of the main reasons I think this movie is timeless is that George Bailey epitomized every man. Who hasn’t at one time thought to himself, ‘I’m shakin’ the dust of this crummy little town off my feet and I’m gonna see the world.’ We all have an intense desire to make a mark in this life, albeit that desire is often times misguided. ‘What is it you want, Mary? What do you want? You want the moon? Just say the word and I’ll throw a lasso around it and pull it down.’ Such a valuable lesson to learn that God’s plan for our lives is perfect, beyond even our greatest imaginations.

And speaking of my favorite Peanut Butter candies – how in the world did PB Max not make it? With commercials like this they should be in every convenience store in America and have several sub-brands right now. Man I miss that candy bar.

The conversation tends to go like this:

Gift Giver: “What do you want for your birthday this year?”
(translated – “please help me – I have no idea”)

Me: “You don’t need to get me anything.”
(translated – “I can’t think of anything you can afford.”)

Gift Giver: “Oh come on there’s got to be something.”
(translated – “I would actually like to get you nothing but we both know that’s really not an option.”)

Me: “Hmmmm. I really can’t think of anything I need right now.”
(translated – “Come on think! There’s tons of stuff you want. Doh!)

Gift Giver: “Really? Nothing?”
(translated – “Are you kidding me? That’s all you got? Thanks. That was very helpful.”)

Me: “Well unless you think I need a new LCD flat panel tv…”
(translated – I know you would never get me this…but just maybe if I mention it…”)

Gift Giver: *Laughs*
(translated – “In your dreams.”)

Me: “I’ll let you know if I think of anything.”
(translated – “I still can’t think of anything and even when I do think of the perfect gift in 2 minutes I won’t tell you because I’ll feel like a greedy scumbag.”)

Gift Giver: “Ok.”
(translated – “I’ll just ask his wife.”)

So to save the world from this pain and frustration the internet invented “wish lists.” The wish list is a list of items you would like to have from a particular website. The Amazon wish list is probably the most famous because they stock just about every product known to man.

This is the link to my wish list. If you have an affinity to give me a gift this year you check it and save us the awkward exchange.

No injury can keep Jack down.

Hmmm, anybody think those nukes won’t make to the necessary facility???

Doyle got something up his sleeve – he’s been waaay to nice lately.

Why can’t the Chinese just get over it already?

Dang Morris and his component…he’s the reason all of this has gone down.

Hmmm Jack has 1 hour to get the component…1 hour…1 hour…could there be any significance to this…no probably not…

I love the nicotine patch on Gary Payton’s (Wayne Palmer) neck

Did Carrot Top re-incarnate and turn into Shawn White?

Just saw the preview for “The Condemned”. I thought the wrester posing as an actor movies would end with the Marine.

Wow! We finally found a resignation that Gary Payton would accept.

It’s official. Those Mac/PC ads are annoying.

Does anyone every tell Jack no?

CTU needs a stringent no-relationship policy.

Silver Spoons needs an attitude adjustment and our favorite CTU agent is just the person to give it to him.

Guess the the Glove needed a stronger nicotine patch. Yippee! More Powers Boothe! Who can we nuke next? My vote is for Canada.

This week should have been one of those double header episodes because there was no resolution at all. It’s as if the writers got done with the season and realized they only had 23 hours. So they drew out the beginning of Jack’s new mission. This might be the first episode in the history of 24 where it actually took someone 30 minutes to drive somewhere…

Well, it’s been fun. Stay alive Jack.

I went to Hollywood Video today to rent a game for some friends coming over tomorrow and they not only were they out of the game I wanted but every single Nintendo Wii game in the store was checked out. Every single copy of every single game.

Now I know how those people in Russia felt when they tried to buy bread only to find none on the shelves…

wait…what?